Growing an oyster reef restoration revolution in South Australia
on 11/11/2024
A lost part of the coast Most people are unaware that just 200 years ago, South Australia was home to some of the largest reef ecosystems on the continent. South Australia’s large gulfs and sheltered bays and estuaries were filled with enormous shellfish reefs formed by billions of oysters, mussels,...
Schools can help with Native Bee Conservation
on 16/09/2024
Dr Katja Hogendoorn, The University of Adelaide While climate change and declines in biodiversity are inevitable, and the lack of adequate action drives some of us to despair, we can all make small contributions to help mitigate some of the effects. Taken together, these small contributions have a positive impact...
Water Literacy
on 10/06/2024
We all know water is important and that’s reflected in the Australian Curriculum, with students learning about the water cycle, how waterways work and can be impacted by human intervention, and water scarcity and security. Something we talk about in the water industry though is water literacy. So, what is...
Exploring our sense of place through Earth and Environmental Science
on 15/04/2024
It is often the voice of students who boast “When will we ever use this information in the real world?”. As educators, our job is to prepare our students with the knowledge and skills they will need in the real world. What they actually need in the real world, however,...
Geoscience Pathways Project
on 04/04/2023
Climate action has never been more important to young people. Geoscience Pathways Project provides free support to schools who would like to offer the SACE subject Earth and Environmental Science which explores all aspects of the climate crisis. Please contact Kelly Sharrad at ksharrad@gmail.com for more information.
Trees for Good
on 14/09/2022
The Problem We are facing a major crisis in the form of human-induced climate change and the extreme weather events that will accompany it. Around the world we are experiencing record-breaking extreme heat events, often coupled with record droughts, or massive floods and fires. Public opinion is slowly shifting towards...
Plastic Free July Spotlight on Dr Jana Phan
on 25/07/2022
As part of Plastic Free July we interviewed Dr Jana Phan from CropLife Australia about her journey through science. SA born, living in ACT, Jana has significantly contributed to scientific knowledge and policy making around the world. Her efforts have recently strengthened the #bagMUSTER initiative, reducing plastic waste on Australian...
Plastic Free July with Compostable Alternatives
on 21/07/2022
How have you been coordinating your Plastic Free July? We've got a few things we've tried here in the SASTA offices, we'll show you next week! In the meantime, the team at Compostable Alternatives kindly answered some questions for us. We hope you can use it in your sustainability discussions...
Why you should study Stage 1 Earth and Environmental Science
on 06/07/2022
Our planet is the place we call home. It provides us with everything we could ever need and has been doing so since the beginning of life on Earth. We also know the Earth is in trouble. We are only now realising the cost to the Earth when we fulfill...
Star of the Sea & the Marine Discovery Centre
on 21/06/2022
Star of the Sea school is home to 500 plus students in the beachside suburb of Henley Beach, Adelaide. Being located on Sea View Road, we are immensely fortunate to have the beach on our front doorstep. We are also fortunate to have the Marine Discover Centre (MDC) as part...
Frog Ponds at Trinity Gardens School
on 31/05/2022
In 2020 Trinity Gardens School proposed a redevelopment of our biodiversity area, beginning with our school frog pond. Our existing ponds did not support ongoing aquatic animal lifecycles due to the toxicity of stagnant water, duckweed and algae. The current ponds were re-designed to encourage the necessary environment for tadpoles...
Exploring Biodiversity at Softfoot Sanctuary
on 18/05/2022
About Softfoot Sanctuary and Farm Softfoot Sanctuary is located on Softfoot Farm’s 600-acre property in Hindmarsh Valley, just 10 minutes from Victor Harbor. The property was established in the year 2000 by the Retallick family to offset emissions, research environmentally friendly farming methods, and protect endangered species. Previously the land...
The Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary: Bringing birds and conservation into your curriculum
on 11/05/2022
by Bruce Baker, Environmental Science Educator Adelaide is near the southern-most end of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway – a migratory pathway for waterbirds flying annually from South Australia to as far north as Siberia and Alaska. To visit with these birds all we need do is visit the Adelaide International...
Enthusing Young People about the Natural World
on 04/05/2022
by Rona Sakko, President & Founder, Junior Field Naturalists SA & Chair, National Science Week Committee, SA The high demand for environment-focused activities for primary and middle school aged students outside of school led Rona Sakko to found Junior Field Naturalists, SA. Here Rona outlines how Junior Field Naturalists came...
Environmental Science at St Catherine’s School
on 30/03/2022
by Krystina Dawe, Assistant Principal, Religious Identity and Mission How is Environmental Science present at St Catherine’s School? Within our school we have a variety of initiatives which have been set up as part of our commitment to sustainability. The work that we do stems from a desire to reduce...
Environmental Science @ KICE
on 22/03/2022
Contributors: Rachel Pillar, Paull Marlow, Hannah Tatlock Here at Kangaroo Island Community Education (KICE) we have several new and exciting Environmental Science programs that we’d love to share with you! We have created a new Marine Studies elective for our Year 10 cohort. Marine Studies is a hands-on, practical subject...
Bringing Nature to the Classroom
on 28/10/2020
It is fair to say that 2020 has been an interesting year for educators and many new alternatives have been required for teachers to deliver their outcomes to students. In previous years many classes would go on excursions to see wildlife and learn about our environment but due to restrictions,...